Resistance
by Anzac123
Summary: As Estovakia continues to push the Emmerian military across its own country groups of citizens ban together to give their country a fighting chance. Based on Ace Combat Six.
1. Chapter 1

OC: I was playing Ace Combat Six and watched the cut scene when Melissa and Ludmila were stopped by Emmerian partisans. I felt like the partisans story was largely left untold in the game (there was no mention of them at any other time besides cut scene 9) and just wanted to expand on the idea that not all Emmerians were contempt with being under Estovakian rule. Hope you enjoy.

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September 6th, 2015

A parade of T-90 Main Battle Tanks rumbled past Gracemeria Castle. Their turrets were pointed upwards and the commanders were all standing upright in their cupolas saluting. Not far behind the tanks were Estovakian soldiers who goose stepped holding their rifles to their shoulders in perfectly even rank and file. Above flight after flight of Elstravokian fighter planes streaked by in delta formation leaving white contrails in the serene blue sky. An Estovakian general looked on from the balcony of the castle as the endless parade of men and machines continued. Loudspeakers throughout the city blared telling the citizens of Gracemeria that they were now free from the oppressive yoke of the Emmerian government. The citizens of Gracemeria milled about on the side of the road showing no particular interest in the invaders. Those who did look at the Estovakians wore a mask of scorn on their faces. No one dared shout or throw anything due to the heavily armed Estovakian soldiers that lined the streets. Louis McKellar was one of those who showed no interest in the parade. He walked with one hand in his pea jacket pocket and the other holding his five year old daughter's hand tightly.

"Daddy." Louis' daughter, Madison, said tugging on his hand.

"Yes." Louis said looking down at his beautiful daughter. He could proudly say she looked like her mother. She had shoulder length straight blonde hair that framed her cherubic little face. Her eyes were green like emeralds and freckles dotted her nose and cheeks.

"How long are those men going to be here?" she asked completely naïve to the fact that a pair of Estovakian soldiers had just walked past them. Louis looked over his shoulder to make sure the soldiers had not heard her. Whether they did or not they continued their patrol.

"We've been through this before, Madison." Louis said sternly. "You can't say those kind of things in public."

"But they won't let me go to school. It's the only time I get to see my friends." Madison whined. Louis stopped and looked down at his daughter. He frowned when he saw tears brimming her eyes and her lower lip quivering.

"Don't worry love." Louis cooed softly bending down to wipe the tears that now streamed down her cheek. "Maybe tomorrow I'll bring you to one of your friends' houses. We'll go out and get ice cream. How does that sound?" Much to Louis' delight Madison's face brightened and she smiled.

They boarded a trolley, which by the way had two soldiers posted on it, and road it all the way to Downtown Gracemeria. There weren't as many soldiers as there were in other parts of the city in the Downtown area but that didn't mean there weren't a lot of them. Louis couldn't help but notice the lack of people on the streets. Usually there were throngs of people either walking on the sidewalks or driving on the road. Ever since the Estovakians invaded most people stayed inside and the ones who did venture outside all looked beyond depressed. One of the houses had furniture and clothes strewn about the front yard. Clear evidence that Estovakian soldiers had raided the place. He didn't know the family who lived there but he'd heard that Stovie soldiers had swooped in at night and snatched the family up before anyone noticed what was going on. A truck painted pea soup green filled with Estovakian soldiers flew down the street completely disregarding both stop signs and red lights alike. Across the street an elderly man said something a little too loudly about how the Estovakians went around like they owned the place and was knocked in the face with the butt of a rifle for his troubles. Louis covered Madison's eyes and picked up the pace.

When he walked in his house his nose immediately picked up the savory smell of his wife's delicious cooking. Madison ran into the kitchen and hugged her mother's leg bombarding her with the details of her day. "That's nice, Maddie." Louis' wife, Alexis, said smiling as she stirred something in a big pot. Maddie was Alexis' nickname for Madison. Personally Louis preferred Madison.

"Hey love." Alexis said kissing Louis on the cheek before returning to cooking. Louis ran a hand through her hair and kissed her back. It surprised Louis still that Alexis and Madison looked so much alike. The only difference was in the eyes. Madison got her emerald green eyes from Louis. Alexis' eyes alternated between an icy blue and light green depending on the light. She checked her watch and said, "You're running a bit late. We have guests."

"Guests?" Louis inquired with a raised eyebrow. Just then two men walked into the kitchen from the living room. Louis couldn't help but let his mouth hang open. Two Estovakian soldiers were in his house. "What are you two doing here?" Louis asked coldly.

"We are to be quartered in this household by official proclamation of the Estovakian Army ." the older of the two soldiers said putting his hands behind his back. He looked like he was in his early thirties, a little younger than Louis who was 37, but he was a full head taller. "I am Sergeant Major Yuri Kamorov." the older one said in heavily accented English and extended his hand. Louis took it reluctantly and shook it. His eyes immediately fixed on a long scar that ran from Sergeant Major Yuri's eyebrow to the corner of his lip. The next thing Louis noticed was his eyes. They were so dark brown they were almost black. It unnerved Louis just to stare into the seemingly lifeless eyes of the sergeant major. "Introduce yourself, Michelangelo!" Sergeant Major Yuri barked at the younger man. Madison yelped involuntarily and hid behind Alexis.

"My name is Private Mikhail Stasenko." the younger man said quietly removing his steel helmet and bowing his head slightly. He was skinny and shorter than even Louis. His eyes were grey and looked sad. "I apologize for our intrusion and I thank you for allowing us to stay in your wonderful home. I promise I won't be a bother."

"Do NOT apologize to these degenerates. They are the enemy. They are to be treated as such, Michelangelo." Sergeant Major Yuri said _Michelangelo _like he was recalling a bitter taste.

"I thought your name was Mikhail." Madison murmured poking her face from behind her mom's apron a little. It surprised Louis that his young daughter could pronounce the foreign name. Sergeant Major Yuri let out a bellowing laugh.

"Care to tell them why we call you Michelangelo?" he said when he was through.

Private Mikhail smiled awkwardly and said, "I like to paint. In basic training I'd paint landscapes on the sides of tanks. The rest of the men would always make fun of me for it and they started calling me Michelangelo. Like the artist." Despite his heavy accent Private Yuri spoke English very well.

"You like to paint! Me too!" Madison yipped.

"That's good. The world needs more painters. If it's okay with you papa and mama can you show me some of your paintings?" Private Mikhail said and looked up at Louis and then Alexis.

Alexis traded a glance with Louis before saying, "That's fine with us." Madison gladly took Private Mikhail by the hand and led him upstairs to her room.

"Such a weak person. If it was up to me people like him wouldn't even be allowed to step foot in the armed forces." Sergeant Major Yuri said frowning.

"Dinner isn't going to be done for another few minutes. Why don't the two of you watch TV in the living room while I finish." Alexis suggested as she started chopping potatoes.

"That is acceptable." Sergeant Major Yuri said. He did an abrupt about face and walked into the living room. Louis hugged his wife from behind to conceal the fact that he whispered in her ear.

"Did they search the house?" Louis said as quietly as possible. Alexis replied with a subtle shake of the head so only he could see. He kissed his wife on the cheek and headed off to the living room. Sergeant Major Yuri was sitting on the couch stiff as a ram round. Louis' thoughts immediately went to whether or not the Stovie felt the Glock 21 .45 ACP Pistol he kept under the cushion.

"So Louis," Sergeant Major Yuri started as Louis sat in the love seat next to the couch. "You've been in the military I see." Louis eyed the folded up Osean flag in a case above his fireplace and wished he would have put it up.

"Yes." Louis said as he turned on the TV. The usual reporters had been replaced and the new reporters wore red bands around their arms meaning they were Stovie lap dogs. "I was in the Osean Armed Forces in the One Hundred First Airborne Division. Served during the Belkan War from start until I caught a bullet taking Solis Ortus." Louis found no reason to lie. If he was correct the Estovakians already had a detailed file on him considering his extraordinary war time service record. He lifted his shirt to show Sergeant Yuri a ugly scar from where the bullet had embedded itself in him.

"That was part of Operation Varsity, yes. I was told we studied the operation and included some parts of it when we landed soldiers here. Why didn't you join the Emmerian military when you came over here?" First Sergeant Yuri asked jotting something down in a notebook. For the first time Louis noticed the Estovakian letters for FIA on Sergeant Major Yuri's shoulder patch. So this bastard was part of the Federal Intelligence Agency. Louis would rather have a platoon of regular Stovie soldiers in his house than one FIA soldier.

"I'm tired of war." Louis lied. "I moved my family here so we could get away from any future wars. Guess I picked the wrong place. Add to that I'm not seventeen anymore and I don't enjoy getting shot at like I use to."

Sergeant Major Yuri nodded and put away the notebook. "You will enjoy life under Estovakia."

Before Louis could say anything about how much he enjoyed hearing about his neighbors being taken away from the dead of night there was a loud knock on the door. He heard Alexis walk over and open the door. "Jack!" she exclaimed rather loudly. "You should have called earlier and let us know you were coming. I don't think we have enough food for all of us." Alexis' voice became cleared the closer herself and Jack got to the living room.

"Don't worry about it. I just came to pick up a jacket from Louis." Jack said as he walked into the living room. Jack Erwin was easy to describe. He looked like a politician. His face looked like it belonged on camera. He had a light brown hair and cool grey eyes. Not the sad ones like Private Mikhail had. These eyes were full of life and seemed to observe everything with great intensity. His chin looked like it had been carved out of marble and tightened up when he laid eyes on Sergeant Major Yuri. "Alexis said you had company but I never expected this." Jack said crossing his hands behind his back. Louis widened his eyes in fear ever so slightly. He knew that Jack had a Walther PPK in his waistband and he wouldn't be afraid to use it.

"The jacket is in my room. Come on." Louis said standing up. Sergeant Major Yuri's beady eyes followed the two of them as Louis headed up the stairs with Jack behind him.

"You never told me you had a fucking St-" Jack began but Louis shut him up with scowl as they passed his daughter's room. Private Mikhail was sitting indian style on the floor looking a lot like a big kid as Madison showed him a notebook full of paintings. "Not one but _two _Stovies." Jack murmured as they got into Louis' room.

"I know it's bullshit. They didn't quarter any soldiers in your house yet?" Louis said checking the hallway to make sure it was clear.

"No not yet." Jack said taking over watch of the hall as Louis went in his closet. He came out with an armful of high grade military explosives and a black leather trench coat. He shoved the plastic explosives into special liners on the inside of the trench coat and handed it to Jack. As they passed Madison's room again Private Mikhail called out to him.

"Mister McKellar!" Louis stopped dead in his tracks and poked his head through the door putting on a fake smile. An utter look of joy was on Private Mikhail's face. "I apologize for bothering you but I must say your daughter is showing great promise in being an artist. Did you teach her how to paint?" Madison was standing next to Private Mikhail doodling something on his helmet. For the first time since Louis met him Private Mikhail's eyes didn't look so sad.

"I'm afraid not Mister Stasenko. She gets her artistic abilities from her mother I must say." Louis said scratching the back of his neck.

"His name is Stas, daddy." Madison said still working on whatever she was doing on Private Mikhail's dome shaped helmet which was still on his head. She had her tongue poking out which was a clear sign that she was concentrating.

"Stas?" Jack asked poking his head in the door too. He muffled a laugh at seeing what Madison was doing.

"A shortening of my last name; Stasenko." Private Mikhail said as he smiled and nodded.

"Keep still!" Madison shouted and tapped the top of Private Mikhail's helmet. Jack openly laughed now and it was Louis who had to suppress a laugh now.

"Apologize to Mister Stasenko." Louis demanded sternly.

"Do not worry about it Mister McKellar. I have a daughter back in Estovakia about the same age as her. I am use to it you see." Private Mikhail said with a large smile on his face.

"Okay then. Well play nice with Stas, Madison." When Louis and Jack got back down to the living room Sergeant Major Yuri was cleaning his AK-74M on the coffee table.

"That took a while just to get a coat." Sergeant Major Yuri remarked as he carefully polished the barrel. When he looked up and saw just what kind of coat Jack had his eyes narrowed. "What would you need such a large coat like that for? It doesn't get cold for another few months."

"It's for my girlfriend." Jack replied with a smirk. "I like to keep my house cold and she complains about it a lot so I figured she can just where this around the house." Jack didn't miss a beat when it came to lying. It just added to his political like traits.

"That may be the case. You are free to go." Sergeant Major Yuri said returning to cleaning his rifle.

"I'll see you later, Louis. Thanks for the coat by the way." Jack said heading towards the front door.

"Anytime. You wanna get a beer before curfew?" Louis said following Jack to the door so he could let him out.

"No go on that. Alison wants to spend some alone time if you know what I mean." Jack said winking. Louis chuckled and opened the door for his friend.

"I'll see you later then." Louis said shaking Jack's hand. With that his friend draped the deadly trench coat over his arm and walked off. Louis knew that those explosives were going to be used to kill Estovakian soldiers. Jack would somehow find a way to smuggle the explosives onto a parade route or onto an army checkpoint before the day was done. He also knew that he was only one of many such men who provided Jack with explosives. He wondered how many more "coats" Jack would pick up before he did what he planned to do. Louis carried the thought with him as he went back to the living room and filtered out whatever the Stovie collaborators were saying on TV.

000

_Later That Night_

"Citizens of Gracemeria! It is now eight o'clock at night! Those without permits to be out past curfew must remain indoors! Those who do not obey will be shot one sight! Citizens of Gracemeria! It is now-" Peter Seth couldn't help but roll his eyes as the Estovakian message was repeated again over speakers that were now on every corner.

"Damn Stovies think they own the place." Peter said in a low voice as he pulled his black balaclava over his head. It took the sting out of the chilly wind that was blowing and helped block the retched smell of the alley he was in.

"Peter." Carter Griffin said pulling a dark green balaclava over his own head. "Technically they do own the city." This drew a dry chuckle from Peter.

"It's our job to make it just too costly for them to stay boys." Jack Erwin running a hand through his hair intentionally messing it up. The three men tensed up as Estovakian Ural-4320 slowly rolled down the street. Peter and Jack threw themselves behind a large garbage bin while Carter pushed himself up against a doorway. Peter's heart leapt into his throat when he heard the Ural stop. A spotlight pierced the darkness that shrouded the alley and scanned the area. Peter relaxed a little when someone barked an order in a language he didn't understand and the truck continued down the street.

"That was close." Carter said as they reunited. He looked at Peter and asked, "You okay kid?"

"Yeah." Peter said more to himself than to Carter. The truth was he wasn't okay. What had just happened scared the shit out of him. He couldn't let the others know they. They had enough worries about him considering he was only sixteen. That meant he hadn't had to report for mandatory military service like Jack and Carter had. The only reason they'd let him join the resistance was because they were hard pressed for members and he'd had some firearm experience from hunting.

Jack slung the duffel bag he had on his shoulder to the ground and unzipped it. "You have shot one of these?" Jack asked as he handed Peter a vz. 58 P Assault Rifle. It was one of the ugliest weapons he'd ever seen. If Peter had to describe it he would say it looked like a wanna-be AK-47. Peter pulled back the bolt and brought the weapon to his shoulder. It felt a bit heavier than the hunting rifles he was use to but he could manage.

"Just point and shoot." Peter responded lowering the weapon. He accepted four spare magazines that Jack gave him and shoved them in his jean pockets. Carter pulled a MAT-49 Submachine Gun out the bag and gawked at it.

"This thing has to be older than me. What if I pull the trigger and it explodes in my face?" the muscular black man said eying the MAT-49 like it was an Estovakian soldier instead of a weapon.

"If we pull this off we won't have to do much shooting." Jack said taking a flashlight out the bag and then discarding it in the trash bin. "And you needed something light if you are going to be carrying seventy pounds of explosives." Jack slug the other duffel bag he had onto the ground and rolled his shoulders.

"You are a complete asshole." Carter said as he slapped a magazine into his weapon and picked up the bag with ease. "What are you going to use?" Jack withdrew his trademark PPK and threaded a suppressor on the barrel. "Of course. You must feel like James Bond with that thing."

Jack laughed quietly and checked his watch. "Okay time to move." Jack said handing the flashlight to Peter. Jack put his pistol back in his waist band and nodded towards the two balaclava clad men.

Jack led the way through the winding alleys of Downtown Gracemeria. Peter strained to see Carter in the dark alleys. He switched from watching the ground in front of him to make sure he wouldn't kick anything and looking up to make sure he still saw the back of Carter's head. The balaclava that had once comforted Peter now felt like it was suffocating him. He moved it around a little making him a bit more comfortable. They trekked through the alleys for close to fifteen minutes staying clear of roads to avoid Estovakian patrols. Every once in a while a helicopter would fly by with spotlights blazing. When that happened the three men did their best to disappear into the shadows.

Finally they arrived at their destination. It was a medium sized one story building in the middle of the block. Large steel shutters blocked the wide glass windows that once displayed the shop's display. They needed weapons to get the resistance off the ground and this was the place to come. It was one of the few gun shops in Gracemeria so it had a large safe in back to keep surplus weapons. No one was allowed inside anymore but rumour was the Stovies were making their ammunition and spare gun parts in places such as this. It was supposedly easier to do it here than ship them from Estovakia so that part made sense. Also the Emmerian Army had left so many weapons behind during the retreat that the Estovakians couldn't store them all at the airbase in the city so they spread them out to places with safes such as banks and gun shops.

"Only one guard out front." Carter observed as he stared at the lone soldier from the shadows of an alley across the street. He stood there rocking back on forth on his heels smoking a cigarette. An AK-74M hung from a sling around his neck. "I'd say another ten inside working on the guns."

"We can do this. Move in as soon as I take this guy down." Jack said running a hand through his hair again. He plucked his eyes making them bloodshot and took out a vial. He pulled the stopper out and emptied the contents on his clothes. Peter immediately smelled vodka even through his balaclava. "Wish me luck." Jack said and stumbled out of the alley.

"Swing low, sweet chariot! Coming for to carry me home! Swing low, sweet chariot! Coming for to carry me home!" Jack sang horribly off key. Peter hoped that there were not any Estovakian soldiers around that would come and investigate the commotion. Jack sang another verse of the song slurring his words as he convincingly fell over and laughed. The Estovakian soldier trained his rifle on Jack and for a moment Peter thought that Jack would be shot.

"What you doing out!" the Estovakian soldier yelled in broken English slowly making his way towards Jack.

"Looked over Jordan and what did I see! Coming for to carry me home? A band of angels coming after me! Coming for to carry me home!" Jack sang as he slowly got to his feet.

"What you doing out!" the Stovie barked coming still closer. Jack's eyes got wide and he put his hands on his head.

"You got me. I plead guilty to public intoxication on the first account." Jack said and giggled. The Stovie muttered something in his native language and lowered his rifle.

"Papers. Need to know address so send someone to bring you to house." the Stovie said acting out the words so Jack would understand. After a moment Jack's eyes went wide again as if he'd just discovered how to turn lead into gold. He fumbled in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He went to give it to the Estovakian soldier but right before it entered his hands Jack intentionally dropped it.

"Can you pick that up for me, buddy. If I bend over I might fall." Jack said with a sheepish grin. The soldier muttered something that had to be a curse word in his language and bent over. In one swift motion Jack pulled his PPK out and put it against the back of the soldier's head right below where his helmet ended. Before the soldier could do anything Jack squeezed the trigger. Just as the soldier hit the ground Jack waved for the two others to cross the street.

"Fucking genius." Carter remarked as they gathered in front the door.

"It's not over yet." Jack said as he donned his own balaclava and picked up the dead guard's AK-74M. Peter's heart pounded as Carter kicked open the door. They stormed in yelling and screaming. "Put ya' fucking hands on your head!" Jack screamed pointing his weapon at a group of soldiers sitting at a workbench. One soldier ran from the back of the shop to see what was going on. When he saw the three armed intruders he reached for his sidearm.

"Don't you fucking do it!" Carter screamed briskly walking towards the soldier while keeping his weapon trained on him the whole time. The soldier hesitated for a second giving Carter the chance he needed. With a single punch to the face the Stovie was sent crumbling to the ground. Peter kept a close eye on the sitting soldiers daring any of them to move while Jack and Carter headed towards the back.

"If any of you move I'll waste you. Don't try me." Peter said trying his best to sound confident. His voice cracked and his hands shook. He was sweating buckets under his mask but he kept his focus.

"Fire in the hole!" Jack yelled as he and Carter came bounding from the back of the store. An explosion shook the building throwing Peter off balance. One of the sitting soldiers lunged at Peter and managed to grab the barrel of his rifle. Peter gasped and squeezed the trigger. 7.62mm bullet ate up the soldier's neck, disconnected the jaw, and obliterated the top portion of his head. Peter just stood there with his ears ringing. Carter was yelling something at him but he couldn't hear.

"The fucking flashlight!" Carter screamed right in Peter's ear. Peter snapped back into reality and tugged the flashlight out of his belt. He ran outside to a manhole cover in front the shop. With a mighty pull the heavy lid came off. He flashed the light three times in rapid succession down the hole. Seconds later several people started climbing up the later. Peter nodded to each of them as they climbed out and headed into the shop. Some were young like him and others were old enough to be his grandfather. The formed a bucket brigade and started passing weapons and steel boxes of ammunition down the manhole. The whole operation took a little over two minutes for them to get enough weapons and ammo for a platoon or so of men. Everything from M-416s, AT4s, AK-74Ms, M39s, RPG-30s, and M9s were passed from person to person making their way down the manhole.

"Cheers." the last man said as he disappeared down the manhole. Peter slid the cover back on and stepped on it to make sure it was closed. Carter and Jack ran out and met Peter in the middle of the street.

"What about the rest of the weapons?" Peter asked.

"What we can't have neither can the Stovies." Jack said holding up a detonator. A bullet cracked past Carter's head making him duck. Peter whirled around and pumped two rounds into an Estovakian soldier who was coming down the street.

"Let's get out of here." Carter said looking around for any more Estovakians. The trio disappeared in the alleys using a different way now just in case anyone saw them. Once they were a dozen or so blocks away they entered the courtyard of the apartment building that Peter lived in and went immediately to his apartment. Peter took of his balaclava and slowly opened the door. The kitchen was draped in darkness and no light came from any of the rooms. Good. That meant LeAnn and the baby was sleeping. Carter checked to make sure no one had followed them before closing the door and locking it.

"LeAnn won't mind us staying for a few days?" Jack asked as he collapsed onto the couch in the living room. He tore off his balaclava and sucked in cold air.

"No. I'll just say the military demolished your houses to make room for barracks or something like that." Peter replied in a low voice.

"How do explain these?" Carter asked tapping his MAT-49. Peter looked down at the vz. 58 P still in his hands surprised that he had almost forgotten he was carrying it. Peter collected Carter's MAT-49 and let Jack keep his pistol because he could conceal it easily. He crept into the hallway and opened a closet where they kept extra blankets and pillows. Careful not to make a sound Peter hid the weapons in the very back of the closet and covered them with pillows. He then put a blanket over the pillows for good measure. He went back in the living room fell onto the couch with Jack and Carter.

"Those soldiers still in their?" Peter asked quietly.

Jack just nodded at first. "Told them I mined the entrence. They'll probably had Stovies crawling all over the place now." He handed the detonator to Peter. "This is the first operation of the Emmerian Liberation Front. You did good kid. Do the honours." Peter squeezed the detonator and put it under the couch for now. A heartbeat later the entire apartment complex shook slightly. A heartbeat after that a high pitched cry resonated from his room. Every muscle in his body screamed at him to ignore it and go to sleep. With a defeated sigh Peter stood up and went to comfort his baby boy. On the way Peter wondered which was more stressful; fighting a military that had more soldiers, guns, planes, and just about everything else or being a teenage father. He decided the latter as he tip toed into his room with a warm bottle.

* * *

September 7th, 2015

Louis enjoyed a nice mug of warm coffee as he sat in the kitchen table just as the sun began to rise. He drank it black with no cream or sugar just like he did back in his paratrooper days. He didn't usually wake up so early unless he had work. His sleep was disturbed by Sergeant Major Yuri and Stas when they made a great commotion as they gathered their gear and headed out the house. Louis could see the TV from where he was sitting but for the sake of Alexis and Madison he kept the volume low and turned the subtitles on. At the moment he had it on the news where a petite reporter stood in front of a line of stone faced Estovakian soldiers that cut off the entire block. Every once in a while Louis would catch a glimpse of Stovies in the background carrying white body bags and loading them into trucks.

"In the dead of night," the reporter began stepping aside so the camera could zoom in on a decent sized hole in the ground. Louis remembered there being a building where the hole was but couldn't remember which one. "Armed assailants stormed into this building that housed Estovakian soldiers. After making off with an untold amount of weapons the assailants detonated a bomb that killed seven Estovakian soldiers that were inside and a further twenty –three soldiers that responded to the attack. Dozens more were wounded." The camera focused on a soldier who was sitting on a chunk of what use to be a building. He had his helmet off and his hands covered his face. The Stovie was visibly sobbing. "The military has said that they will find and punish those responsible but beyond that not much else has been revealed."

Louis grinned inwardly and took a sip of his coffee. He chose not to smile outwardly because he was pretty sure that Sergeant Major Yuri had placed camera spikes in the lower portion of his house. Louis realized he was wrong about what he thought Jack would do with the explosives. He figured that Jack would try to cause as many Estovakian casualties but instead he stocked up on arms so instead of taking a bunch of Stovies out in one blow and not do much after he could slowly bleed the occupiers dry. It was pure brilliance.

As Louis poured himself another cup he decided he wanted to talk to Jack so he could know exactly how he did it. Jack would be lying low for a bit so he'd have to wait a few days but when he could Jack and himself would take a walk in the park where the Stovies couldn't bug and discuss what had happened. For the meantime Louis was contempt with just wondering. He looked at the clock on the stove and stood up. He owed his daughter a trip to one of her friend's house and some ice cream today. With a tired yawn Louis dragged his feet up the stairs and started preparing for his day.

000

Private Yuri Stasenko sat down and hung his head in his hands. He couldn't take it. There was no way he could pick up pieces of people he'd known. Sure they weren't his friends but he still knew them. The thing that got to him more than the sight of people he'd known blown apart was the smell. The acrid smell of burnt flesh mixed with the harshness of nitrocellulose that now floated in the air burning his nose. He could close his eyes and for the most part shut out the sights of human remains scattered around like twisted Halloween decorations. He could not close his nose so the pulverized remains of his fellow Estovakians continued to flow through his lungs.

Before Stas knew it he was crying. He couldn't help it. His vision got blurry as tears streamed down his cheeks cutting a path through the pulverized concrete that had plastered his face. He tried to wipe his eyes with the back of his uniform jacket but that only got more dust in his eyes making him cry more.

_What would Father think of me now? _Stas thought as he just sat there crying. His father, the famed Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Stasenko, would probably slap him around and tell him to man up. Stas would bite his lip and try his best to hold back additional tears as his father would continue to berate him. Stas was partially glad that his father wanted little to do with him. His was also angry about it too. Colonel Oleg had pulled all the strings to get Stas a sent to the best war colleges abroad but he always managed to mess up. His last option was the 76th Airborne Division. Unlike all his other posting Stas was actually good at being a paratrooper. He'd earned his wings just a few weeks prior to the invasion. His favourite thing about it was the moment after the static line deploys and he was just floating there. It made him feel like a bird gently gliding downwards. His least favourite part was when he hit the ground and started fighting.

"Michelangelo!" one of the soldiers yelled. Stas looked up still bleary eyed. Sergeant Alexandr Afanasiev motioned for him to come by him. Stas stood up, shouldered his AKS-74, and walked over to Sergeant Alexandr. Stas looked up to Alexandr. Everyone did. The man was a hardened veteran of the civil war and personally took care of a total of six Emmerian tanks with only grenades during the assault on the capital. He volunteered to do so because if anyone was to die he'd rather it be him than any of the other men. He had the highest of Estavokia's awards, the Hero of the Federal Republic, and dozens of other lesser medals. The only reason why the 6ft 11in beast of a man was still a sergeant despite more than fifteen years of service was he frequently fought with officers and his general lack of military discipline unless he was actively fighting.

"Are you okay?" Sergeant Alexandr asked putting a large hand on Stas' shoulder. Some say when you're in the presence of your hero they seem like giants. That was exactly how Sergeant Alexandr was to Stas at the moment. Unlike most other airborne soldiers he just wore a telnyashka with light blue stripes. He wore it with pride too as only Airborne soldiers were allowed to wear the light blue striped variant. His forearms were as large as hams and on his right bicep was covered by a large tattoo of the Airborne's emblem; a golden eagle with wings outstretched, in one claw a lightning bolt and the other a bundle of arrows.

"Yes, sir. It's just too much." Stas said wiping the last of his tears from his face. Sergeant Alexandr patted him on the back and almost knocked Stas down.

"You will be fine, comrade. These are the things a paratrooper must deal with." Sergeant Alexandr cocked his head towards a group of Emmerian civilians that were being pushed into the back of trucks. "We are going to get our revenge though." Stas watched as Emmerians were forced out of their homes often at gunpoint and loaded into the back of trucks. Once the trucks were filled to capacity the rattled off and another truck pulled up so the process could start again.

"Where are they going?" Stas asked.

"They are being taken to the port. I heard we're sending them back to Estovakia to work in the camps and factories."

"Not the camps." Stas said jerking his head up. He'd heard enough about the reform camps to know he didn't want to go there. There were numerous hard labour camps set up in the northern icy northern part of Estovakia. The worst rumour he heard was that the detainees were dropped in the middle of a forest and they had to build the camps themselves.

"Would you rather they do this again?" Sergeant Alexandr asked scratching his blonde chevron mustache.

"I suppose not." Stas said shaking his head.

"Good. Now let's get you cleaned up. I think you need to rest." Sergeant Alexandr said wrapping a large forearm around Stas' shoulder and leading him off.


	2. Chapter 2

**I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter up. The last week exactly hasn't been the best. Here it is though. Enjoy!**

* * *

September 9th, 2015

Stas had played baseball when he was a teenager. Not proper baseball with a bat and ball but two by fours and fist sized pieces of concrete was all he and his friends could scavenge out of the ruined cities. Sure it made for some dangerous playing but it helped them not think about the brutal war still going on. They were extra careful then though. If they ever saw a plane in the sky they'd scatter or if they head shriek of artillery they would immediately seek cover. It was different now. Instead of playing on streets littered with debris they played on an actual baseball diamond on the edge of the park. They had real bats and baseballs too. The atmosphere was more relaxed than two days prior because no more attacks had taken place so they figured it was over. Stas took a deep breath and readied himself. The pitcher on the other side could throw hard but rarely got the ball over the base. A curveball that angled towards Stas' ribs made him spin out of the box.

"Ball four! Take your base!" the umpire howled pointing at first base. He was a senior sergeant with a face that seemed to droop like a mastiff. He wasn't the best umpire in the world but nobody had the balls to tell him so. Stas tossed the bat aside and jogged to first base. A few guys he didn't know clapped and whooped. They weren't his friends so they probably had money placed on his team. Along with the decent amount of Estovakian soldiers there were some Emmerians. Most of them were kids hoping to get some candy, gum, or field rations from the soldiers. There weren't many Emmerian men in the crowd. Maybe five or six that turned up to see what the occupiers did in their spare time.

"Strike!" the umpire yelled. To Stas it looked four inches to high but there was nothing he could do. "Ball!" That one looked better than before but once again there wasn't a thing Stas could do.

Stas took a modest lead on the base. The pitcher stared at him from the corner of his eye daring him to move just a bit more. Stas wasn't going to let himself be lured into that one. He might not have been the best at baseball but he certainly wasn't blind at what the pitcher was trying to get him to do. Stas noticed one more Emmerian guy in the crowd. He was around the same age as him and wore a large coat despite the warmer weather. The coat wasn't what got Stas' attention as the man disappeared in a crowd of soldiers behind third base. The look on the man's face told him something was….wrong.

_**BLAM!**_ Stas hit the ground before he realized it. It may have been a few weeks since he'd last been shot at but his combat reflexes were in tip top shape.

"Fuck the Devil's grandmother!" the first basemen yelled. He was on his stomach a few feet from Stas. "The Army put a minefield down or something?" Stas slowly rose his head. He wished he had his rifle or at least his sidearm but that was in the dugout with most other's gear.

Stas looked over at third where he'd last seen the man. Bodies and pieces of bodies lay everywhere. Half of somebodies still bleeding thigh lay a few feet from the pitcher's mound. Those who had been wounded started screaming. Someone called for a medic. Stas, still half dazed, ran over to see if he could help in any way. He didn't carry any dressing or morphine like he had when he first landed in Gracemeria. Officers told him no such thing was needed now that the fighting was over. By the helpless looks of the other non-wounded they had been told the same. Stas realized that he was ready to deal with the scene mentally unlike before but not physically.

He kneeled down next to a soldier holding on to his bloody leg. "You want me to try and wrap that up?" Stas asked. He may have not had dressing but he could use his telnyashka and shoelaces as a substitute.

"No. I don't think it's that bad." the wounded soldier said. In an angrier voice he said, "The bastard blew himself up."

"Who?" Stas asked and immediately felt stupid. Who else could have done it.

"That fucking Emmerian. He really blew himself up." The wounded soldier slammed his fist into the ground and cursed.

"No way. There had to be a mine." Stas said wanting to believe that over what could have really happened.

"Not a chance. I watched him go up. He was there one moment and the next he was gone. Fucker took a bunch of our guys with him." The soldier pulled something out of his leg and held it up so he could see it better. "That is not a fucking nail." the soldier said through clenched teeth. Stas stared at the four inch piece of pointed iron. The soldier looked at Stas and said, "Please tell me I fell on a nail."

"No." Stas said shaking his head. "He made his own shrapnel." Stas took a pack of cigarettes he kept in his pocket. He thumbed one out and offered it to the man below him. "Thanks." he said taking it. He produced his own lighter and lit it. Stas didn't smoke himself but he figured he might as well carry around a pack so if anyone was out he could offer them. Civilian emergency personnel arrived on scene but they were pushed away by medics armed with AKS-74Us. More armed soldiers arrived on scene and began securing the area.

"Those bastards." the soldier said looking around at the carnage and inhaling a lungful of smoke. "Those fucking bastards." he repeated exhaling through his nose. Stas did his best not look around. He wished he'd never see pieces of men strewn about again. Unfortunately he had no such luck.

"Lend me a hand." one of the medics said as he put his arms under the wounded soldier's armpits. Stas took his legs and they lifted him up on a stretcher.

"Fuck!" the wounded soldier cried. Another medic came and they carried him to the back of a BTR-50 that had been converted into an ambulance.

Stas moved on to the next wounded soldier he saw. "Want a smoke?"

000

"I'm against it." Jack said leaning back in his chair.

"Me too. What's the point of trying to free our city if we depopulate it using suicide bombers?" Peter said with an all too serious look on his face.

Carter shook his head in a disapproving matter. "We have to show the Stovies that we are serious. Look at all of them we took out. That was just one bomber. Imagine six or seven of them running into one of the Stovie victory parades. Think of how much damage we can cause."

Jack bit his lip and thought a moment. "I see what you're saying but I still don't like it."

"We can shorten the occupation if we keep it up. A constant string of bombers against concentrated groups of Stovies. We'll make it so bad they won't want to leave the bases or houses they're quartered in. We can drive them out." Carter continued to push the idea. Jack looked almost bought on the subject but Peter detested the idea.

"What about all the people they're shipping out? They made an entire city block disappear last night. They're all heading to Estovakia to be put in those damn camps." They all knew this. The Estovakians had put on a nice show on the news showing entire families being put on boats and shipped off.

"One man can take out a dozen Stovies by himself." Carter insisted.

"I think we should work in cells. Try to stay away from the suicide bombers. We're short on people as it is now. Not point in wasting them. A cell of five or six guys can do as much damage as one bomber and get away with it to do it again." Peter argued. LeAnn walked in the kitchen with baby Jonathan in her arms.

"I'm going to the store to pick up diapers. Ya'll need anything?" LeAnn asked brushing a piece of jet black hair out of her eyes. At 17 she was older than Peter but by a few months. She carried Peter's last name because they decided they should get married before Jonathan was born.

"I think we're good. I can go later on if you want me to?" Peter offered.

"I can do it. He hasn't been wearing me down too much lately." LeAnn said with a tired smile. Jonathan looked up at his mother a smiled showing a toothless mouth.

"Okay. Be careful out there. I love you." Peter said getting up to hug LeAnn. When Jonathan saw Peter he cracked up laughing.

"You be safe. Please don't get hurt. I love you, Peter." LeAnn whispered in Peter's ear as they hugged. Peter had been he had the option whether or not to tell her what was going on. In the end he decided to and she took it harder than he'd thought she would.

Peter looked down at his son and said, "You take care of your mom. You're the man when I'm not around." Jonathan squealed happily and spit up.

"Dammit." LeAnn muttered as she walked out the door dabbing Jonathan's chin with a baby wipe. When Peter took his seat at the kitchen table Jack and Carter looked at him with grim expressions.

"What would you do if the Stovies picked her up and interrogated her? We'd be done then." Carter said frowning. Peter squeezed the edge of his chair until his knuckles were white. If the Estovakians ever put their hands on LeAnn he'd kill them all. As unrealistic as that sounded that was exactly what Peter planned to do.

"We'll deal with that if it happens. Back to our moral dilemma." Peter said desperate to change the subject. The more he thought of what the occupiers would do to LeAnn the more he wanted to walk up to a random Stovie soldier and shoot him in the face.

"I think we should discontinue using suicide bombers." Jack said firmly.

"What?" Carter exclaimed looking at Jack like he was crazy.

"We can't afford to lose any people we do not have to." Jack said shrugging his shoulders. "The risk for civilian casualties is too high also. If our own people get hurt while we're trying to kick the Stovies out they'll use that against us."

Carter sighed and scratched at a bump on his arm. "How many people will be involved in our next operation?"

"Five or six. We'll need the extra muscle." Jack pulled a black and white picture out of his pocket and unfolded it.

"How did you get this?" Peter asked scrutinizing the picture. It was pretty good for a black and white photo. It was a picture of an Estovakian officer followed by an entourage of body guards as he exited a building.

"The Stovies hired one of us to take pictures so they can send it back home for their newspaper." Jack took out several more pictures, all of the one Stovie officer but at different places, and spread them around the table.

"Who is he?" Peter asked examining one photo that was of just the officer.

"The Shark of Silvat." Jack said narrowing his eyes. "Major General Rusland Vorobiev. He's the one who personally led the attack that encircled so many of our guys at Silvat. Now the Emmerian Army is missing a good chunk of its firepower. Here's the best part though. The Shark of Silvat is coming here."

"Let me guess. We're gonna snatch him." Carter said crossing his arms.

Jack nodded and said, "If we can. He'll only be in town for one night so we only have one shot at this. If we can snatch him we have to pull every piece of information out of his head even if we have to pull every finger nail out to get it. Our boys over on Khesed Island are getting the shit kicked out of them and if that Stovie has anything that can help them out inside his head I want it."

Peter just started to scrutinize Major General Rusland's face and memorize every facial feature when someone walked past the door whistling a tune. Peter knew the whistle well. _"Olly olly oxen free"_

That was a member of the resistance. Jack stood up and drew his PPK. He walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. "Go…." Jack challenged.

"Dance with the angels." the person behind the door replied. Jack slowly opened the door and let the person slip in. It was an older lady with brown hair but it was quickly greying. She had bags under her eyes that were so dark Peter swore the lady hadn't slept since the Stovies came. Peter's eyebrows rose in surprise when he realized who the lady was. Mary Conan had been a chemistry teacher at the high school Peter had gone to. Her son was a tank gunner in the Emmerian Army and had been killed in the first few days of the war trying to buy time for civilians to cross a bridge.

"I know where Rusland will be today." Mary said in a low voice. Peter remembered how her voice boomed but now she sounded like she had lost the will to live. "He is to be greeting a new unit arriving at the Air Base tomorrow evening. He'll stay a night at the base and take a plane to the morning to the front.

Jack pulled out his wallet and fished out 800 Robica. "Thanks." Jack said handing her the money. Henry would have been surprised to find out his mom was such a good spy." At the mention of her now dead son Mary smiled a little and looked down.

"I'll be going now." Mary said and let herself out. As usual Jack locked the door and looked through the peephole to make sure no Estovakian soldiers were planning to storm in before returning to the table.

"No way we are shooting our way into there. They have a few divisions guarding the place. Even if we did units stationed throughout the city would pulverize us as soon as we tried to escape." Carter said shaking his head. "Face it we lost the guy."

"What if we could sneak in?" Jack said looking up at the ceiling.

"How would we be able to sneak in?" Carter asked looking at Jack. Jack looked at him back and smiled.

"You can't. Sorry to say but you'd stick out in a Stovie uniform."

"Stovie uniform?" Peter said giving Jack a funny look.

Jack smiled a friendly smile and asked Peter, "How's your Estovakian?"

000

Louis felt good with the radio controller in his hand. It brought him back to his days in the Osean Secret Intelligence Service when the Circum-Pacific War was raging. Instead of controlling a remote control P-39 Airacobra like he was now he was remotely piloting a MQ-9 Reaper dropping GBU-37 bombs deep behind Yuktobonian lines during the Circum-Pacific War. Madison sat to his left colouring a picture while Alexis lay on her back reading and using the book to shade her eyes from the Sun. It pained him to say so but they were completely oblivious to why he chose this park to come to even though it was further from their house than the other park. This park was in range of the Gracemeria Air Base which at this moment An-124s was landing to disgorge their loads of Stovie soldiers.

"That's a big plane daddy." Madison said looking up from her picture.

"That it is." Louis said hitting a button on the bottom of the controller. Half a mile over the airbase his model plane was snapping dozens of pictures via a digital camera he'd attached. The photos were automatically sent to his e-mail in an encrypted format, sent to a proxy e-mail, encrypted yet again, and then sent off to his various contacts each with their own personalized code. It was the same program the Osean Secret Intelligence Service used when dispatching information. The risk of the original message being intercepted and decrypted was low and even if the Stovies managed to intercept it without the encryption key all they would see was useless random numbers and letters.

He made one more pass over the base before bringing the plane back to the ground. It glided as he cut the engine off and came down in a field of grass fifty meters away. "Shit." Louis muttered as an Estovakia soldier in PT gear stopped and picked the plane up. Louis jogged towards the soldier waving his hand.

"This your plane?" the Stovie asked handing it to Louis.

"Yes. Thank you very much." The soldier nodded and continued jogging. Louis examined the P-39 for any damage. He'd have to sweep it for bugs when he got back home. He looked over at his daughter and wife and decided it could wait until after he took the two loves of his life out to a proper dinner. Too bad they'd have to walk. The Estovakian imposed ration of three gallons of gasoline per car was brutal to say the least.

"Who wants some pasta?" Louis asked when he got back to the grass knoll where Alexis and Madison where.

Alexis moved the book away from her eyes and squinted in the sun light. Louis marveled at how Alexis' eyes changed from green to blue. "Where did you have in mind?"

"Alfonso's." Louis replied as he helped Madison pick up her drawing materials.

"Can't." Alexis said. A robin landed on her leg and stared up at her with black beady eyes. Alexis slowly reached forward with her finger and tried to bet the robin. The bird, sensing a threat, puffed out its crimson chest and hopped backward. Alexis half way smiled and whistled softly. To Louis' surprise it whistled back. The bird gladly hopped forward and rubbed Alexis' finger with the side of its head like a cat. Alexis whistled a final tune and the bird flew away.

"Didn't know you could speak bird." Louis joked.

"I don't. When you were off on one of your missions I'd take Maddie on walks through the park. I'd whistle and the birds would whistle back." Alexis said getting a far off look in her eye. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear before continuing. "And we can't go to Alfonso's. Estovakians turned it into an officer's only place."

Louis sighed and sagged his shoulders a little. Alfonso's was his favourite restaurant in the city. The nearest place they could get good food anywhere close to Alfonso's was all the way in San Loma. "What about pizza?"

"Pizza!" Madison exclaimed shouted dropping a handful of crayons on the ground. "Can we please get pizza? Pretty please."

Louis looked at Alexis. "Any good pizza parlors around here?" Alexis bobbed her head and started putting all the stuff they had brought into a large shoulder bag.

"You want pepperoni or a plain cheese pizza?" Louis asked.

"Plain cheese!" Madison replied. Louis frowned. "Just kidding daddy. Pepperoni, pepperoni, and more pepperoni!" Alexis smiled and Louis laughed.

Louis picked Madison up and kissed her on the forehead. He put the partially disassembled plain under one arm and interlaced fingers with Alexis. With a click of a button on the controller every picture the converted spy plane had taken was erased from the hard drive. Even if the Stovies decided to sweep the plane now all they'd find were blank spaces.

* * *

**And that ends chapter 2. As you can see the resistance is experimenting with different forms of attacks and is planning something big. The Estovakians aren't exactly sure how to handle but they'll be doing some experimenting of their own to try and stop the attacks. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy. **


	3. Chapter 3

September 10th, 2015

Peter had grown to love his vz. 58 P. It had gotten him through his first mission without a scratch so of course he'd feel nostalgic about it. Maybe that's why he didn't feel right with the AK-74M that was slung over his shoulder. He also wasn't happy with the image that stared back at him from the full sized mirror on the back of his bedroom door. He was dressed in an Estovakian combat uniform. According to his papers he was Junior Sergeant Vasily Grechko. It wasn't hard to swipe a Stovie soldier off the street and take his uniform. There were so many drunk Estovakians stumbling around at night it made it too easy. He still didn't like the way he looked. Despite the uniform making him look sharp something didn't seem right about wearing the same clothes the enemy wore. He was so caught up with the person in the mirror he jumped when someone knocked on the door. LeAnn opened it a little and stuck her head in.

"Jesus." she said coming in and closing the door behind her. "I never knew you looked so sexy in uniform."

"Don't get use to it. Where's the baby?" Peter said fixing his collar. It was still crooked when he was done. LeAnn took it upon herself to make it straight.

"He's by my mom's. I wanted him there just in case….just in case something happens." LeAnn looked at the well shined combat boots Peter now wore. "What if something happens?" LeAnn murmured still looking down.

Peter lifted her head up by putting his hand under her chin and pushing gently. "Nothing will happen to me. I promise." LeAnn's amber eyes seemed to stare right into Peter's soul seeking a hint of falsehood. She put a hand on side of Peter's face and let it rest there.

"I'm taking your word for that. Just please come back to me." LeAnn said conforming her body to Peter's. She pushed herself up on her tip toes and pressed her lips against her husband's. They embraced for a short period of time before breaking apart. LeAnn's eyes watered.

"What?" Peter asked concerned. LeAnn managed a smile, a fake one but a smile none the less.

"Nothing." she said wiping the tears away. "Carter and Jack are waiting for you in the living room. You should go."

Peter looked at the depressed expression on LeAnn's face. Did she really think something is going to happen? "I'll be back as soon as I can." Peter said running a hand through her hair.

"Okay." LeAnn muttered and went into the bathroom. Peter felt a sinking feeling as he heard her muffled sobs. Fist balled, Peter walked briskly out the room. Carter wore normal civilian clothes and looked bored out of his mind. He kept running a hand over his bald head and tapped his fingers on the cheap wooden table. Jack on the other hand looked vibrant as ever. He looked strange to Peter in an Estovakian colonel's uniform but to any other Stovie he'd look like one of their own. It had been a little tougher and easier to snag a colonel. The hardest part was luring him out. Louis had discovered that one of the Stovie colonels had a love for little boys. It was difficult to get him away from his body guards but once they got him to the poorer part of the city where Stovie units tried to avoid it was all too easy.

A sly smile crept across Jack's face when he saw Peter. "Nadeyus vy eto ponimayete, tovarishch." Peter said in perfect Estovakian. _I hope you understand this, comrade._

"Da. Mne trebuyetsya neskolʹko sekund, chtoby perevesti khotya." Peter replied. _Yes. It takes me a few seconds to translate though._ His Estovakian accent was….decent to say the least.

"Enough Stovie talk." Carter said shaking his head doggedly. "I think we're behind schedule." The trio checked their watches and went to walk out the door. Carter went out first to make sure none of the other of the apartment tenants were outside. They couldn't be 100% sure that none of their fellow Emmerians would rat them out to the Stovies so they had to be careful. Carter proclaimed the coast was clear after a thorough walk through. Peter, feeling alien as ever, stepped out followed by Jack.

"How much time we have?" Carter asked.

"Thirty minutes until the first planes touch down. That should give us plenty of time." Jack said as he put on his lavish officer's cap. Peter, being a junior sergeant, put on his utility cover as well.

"I'll see you guys later. We should have everything set up by the time you bring your friends." Carter said. He wished Jack and Peter luck and the group split into two groups. As Peter walked down the steps he wondered where Jack was going. He'd saw someone drop off a decent sized pipe bomb but Peter couldn't see how that would fit into their plan. He decided it was best not to think about it for now as he got to the sidewalk. Jack never did anything for no reason. If he had a pipe bomb delivered it was because they'd need it not because he wanted one.

He felt out of place wearing the Stovie uniform. His fellow citizens gave him dirty looks and crossed to the other side of the street when he went by. It surprised him that no one recognized him but all the bulky gear he had on made him look a lot bigger than he really was. His hair was properly tucked under his cap and he tried to make his face as mean looking as possible.

It only took five minutes to get to where he wanted to be. He only had a few minutes to have to do what he needed to do and get out of there. The old lady that swept the sidewalk in front of a tailor paid him no mind as he walked in. A bell attached to the door announced his presence and the smell of new leather filled his nose. An old man hobbled out of the back room with yellow measuring tape draped around his neck. His wrinkled face looked like he'd been there and done that and when he did it it was worse. His grey hair protruded this way and that making him look like an evil scientist.

"What can I do for ya?" Roger Davis, or as Peter knew him Uncle Roger, said propping his elbows up on the counter. Roger's normally squinted eyes widened when he saw his great nephew in the foreign uniform.

"Hey." Peter said smiling awkwardly and took off his utility cover off.

An Estovakian soldier emerged from one of the dressing rooms and checked himself out in the mirror. He grumbled something and went to the counter. "Dobryy denʹ." the Stovie said pulling out his wallet and placing several bills on the counter. _Good day._

"Deystvitelʹno khoroshiy denʹ." Peter replied. _A good day indeed._ It was pretty chilly inside but Peter felt sweat running down his back. Luckily the Stovie adjusted his belt and walked out. Peter waited until the door closed to ask in a hushed tone, "Any more of them?"

"No." Roger said picking up the printer paper like bills and depositing them in a cash register. "I'm getting real tired of this god damn occupation money. Ain't worth wiping my ass with!" Peter couldn't help but laugh at his great uncle's colourful language. Roger set his gaze on Peter. "Come over here and give me a hug. I haven't seen you since those sons of a crippled horses came around." Peter walked around the counter and hugged the much shorter man. Despite his frail appearance Roger squeezed Peter in a bear hug and lifted him off the ground.

"I thought you were kidding when you said you wrestled sharks in the Navy. Some kind of grip old man." Peter said beaming when he was on his own two feet.

"Kid's stories." Roger said smiling. He had a smile that made his whole face squinch up and his eyes squinty. "I wrestled whales." Roger said sounding almost serious. That made Peter crack up. "Now would you like to tell me why you dressed up like a damn Stovie or is it All Hollow's Eve all ready? Don't tell me you done hopped in bed with those assholes." Peter stopped smiling.

"Pretend you didn't see me in this uniform. I need your help with something though." Peter said. He looked around nervously. If a Estovakian decided to walk in now to get his trousers fitted than he was screwed.

"Anything my boy!" Roger boomed louder than Peter would have liked. Peter dug into his boot and pulled out a piece of paper. Roger took it and spread it out. He opened a draw and pulled out a pair of glasses with lenses that looked three inches thick. His wrinkles reminded Peter of canyons as he scanned the letter. "Does LeAnn know about this?" Roger said becoming serious. Peter just shook his head too ashamed to speak. "I know a place. It will have to wait until the store closes."

"That's fine. Thanks Uncle Roger." Peter said putting his cover on.

"Let's call it me paying you back for taking down those Stovies at that gun shop." Roger said.

"How'd you know who did it?" Peter asked concerned. If someone had told his great uncle that meant people knew he did it. If people knew he did it than there was a chance he'd be visited in the middle of the night by a squad of not too happy Estovakians.

Roger's chapped lips formed another smile. "Boy I was born at night but sure as hell not last night. You just be careful. I'll take care of LeAnn. You just worry about yourself and the people fighting next to ya."

Peter nodded and walked out. Just as he did a group of Stovies walked in. He took the rifle off its sling and cradled it in his arms. Now he needed to look like your average Estovakian on patrol. He'd practiced his tough guy walk at home but never in full combat gear. Peter squared his shoulders and took longer strides than normal. The webbing around his inner thigh still chaffed and rubbed his skin raw. Peter had to admit he felt like a complete badass. The way people crossed to the other side of the street when they saw him coming and never looked him in the eye made him feel superior. No wonder the Stovies were so cocky.

A BMP-3 ground to a halt next to him. Peter was showered by tiny bits of concrete as the tracked vehicle pulverized the road trying to stop. He looked up the Stovie standing on the turret and struggled to remember any of the Estovakian he'd picked up over the last few days. The Estovakian was standing with his back to the sun so Peter couldn't make out his face.

"Privetstvuyut vas bespoleznoy sobaka!" the Stovie barked in a deep, booming voice. _Salute you worthless dog!_ Peter stood ramrod straight and saluted smartly. All he could do was hold his breath and hope that no one alerted the Estovakians of his visit to the tailor. Now that he thought of it he should have bought a pair of shoelaces or something so it didn't look like he went in there for nothing.

"Ya proshu proshcheniya tovarishcha." Peter said in his best Estovakian doing his best to stress certain syllables and let others roll off his tongue. _I apologize comrade._

"Tovarishch polkovnik k vam." the officer growled. _Comrade colonel to you._ Peter's hand cramped a little as he still held his salute. He was dealing with a colonel. For all he knew this man could bring him back to wherever he was stationed at and question him. Peter would eventually mess up and he'd be detained for more thorough questioning.

Then it hit Peter. If this man was a colonel then maybe….

Peter slowly tilted his hand so that it blocked the sun. When Jack's face came into focus Peter felt as if someone had just taken a massive weight off his chest. Jack looked different to Peter though. His face was puckered up like he'd been hit in the stomach or ate a lemon whole. An unlit cigarette hung limply from the corner of his mouth (mind you Jack didn't smoke) and a permanent frown scarred his face.

"Sadisʹ U nas yestʹ povstantsy , chtoby ubitʹ." Jack said jerking a thumb towards the back of the vehicle. _Get in. We have insurgents to kill. _Peter obliged and headed towards the rear of the BMP-3. The doors split open revealing a partial squad of five Estovakian soldiers. They all looked the same age as Peter and extremely unpleased at being in the cramped crew bay. Peter ducked his head as he entered the bay nodding to a few of the soldiers. They didn't try to make any conversation as the doors closed and they were swallowed by darkness. A few of the soldiers opened the firing ports letting in streams of light when the BMP lurched forward. The silence left Peter alone in his own thoughts. Immediately his mind went to LeAnn.

She'd think he abandoned her and the baby. Peter knew for a fact she wouldn't enjoy where she was going. His great uncle would go to their house right around curfew. A little before to make sure the fewest number of people would see. Most civilians were inside a bit early to avoid confrontations with Stovies who had quick watches and the Estovakians would be rotating shifts around that time. If Gracemeria was ever a ghost town it would be then.

"My sobirayemsya v gorod Emma?" one of the Stovies asked as he thumbs a cigarette out of a soft pack. _We going to Emma Town? _Peter smiled inwardly when the other soldier exchanged worried glances. Emma was the nickname for most if not all Emmerians. Emma Town was the poorer part of Gracemeria that Estovakians rarely went. The Resistance had a strong foothold in Emma Town so whenever a Stovie patrol goes through they can count on taking some fire. The Stovie response to this was slowly and methodically demolishing tattered apartment building by tattered apartment building reducing the size of Emma Town. At first engineers tried to lay explosives in and around each building but snipers and bounding mines stopped that. Now they used IMR-3s equipped with metal plows. Those get knocked out every once in a while too. It took a dedicated hunter-killer team with RPG-30 to slip past the Estovakian perimeter, hit the IMR-3 from behind, and escape.

"Pokhozhe na to." one Stovie said looking out the firing port. "Vy mozhete posmotretʹshlyukh , poetomu my dolzhny bytʹ." _It seems. You can see the whores so we must be._

"Mozhet bytʹ, my mozhem poluchitʹ nashi khui sosatʹ , poka my zdesʹ." the Stovie that was smoking said. The other Estovakians chuckled and even Peter forced himself to. _Maybe we can get our dicks sucked while we're here. _Peter felt rage boil his insides. These so called 'whores' were doing what they had to do to survive. People couldn't afford to eat out like in the pre-invasion days and without customers most restaurants were forced to close. Even if people had money the restaurants couldn't get enough ingredients to make whatever they needed. The Estovakians liked to ration food and keep whatever was left over. The rationing meant that a lot of people went hungry now. Some women went as far as sleeping with the Stovie soldiers just to get a meal. It sickened Peter and made him hate the invaders more. He couldn't show it though. At the moment he kept an impassive look on his face and tried to ignore the revolting phrases they were shouting at the women on almost every corner. Thankfully their calls stopped when the BMP stopped.

The Estovakians racked the bolts on their weapons and got ready. The split doors groaned open flooding the troop bay with light. They stumbled out into the street and quickly fanned out. The half starving civilians cast the men a glance and started disappearing into building and alleys.

"YA ne lyublyu etogo." one of the Stovies said peering around with narrow eyes. _I don't like this. _

"YA ne dayuyebatʹ, chto vam ne nravitsya!" Jack barked as he jumped down. To help make his officer appearance more realistically he carried an AKS-74U. "Vy tuda, kuda , chert vozʹmi ya vam skazhu." _I do not give a fuck what you like. You go wherever the fuck I tell you to. _The soldier gave Jack a dirty look and Jack stared right back daring him to do anything. Needless to say the soldier looked down first. Peter spotted a small boy poking his head out the alley. He couldn't have been older than nine or ten. He was bonier than kids his age in the pre-war days; another effect of the damn rationing. Despite looking like a skeleton he hefted a L81A1 that was taller than him up to his shoulder. Peter hoped that the kid didn't get noticed and he wouldn't think Jack or himself a Stovie.

_CRACK_

The Stovie who said some rather profane things about Peter's fellow Emmerian women fell to the ground. His comrades twirled around and fired. Too late. The kid had already disappeared into the alley. The Stovies turned their guns on whatever civilian they saw.

"Derzhite ogonʹ!" Jack yelled. "Derzhite ogonʹ!" _Hold fire! Hold fire! _After a few more frantic shouts the soldiers lowered their smoking weapons. Fifteen people, ranging in age from twelve to seventy, lay sprawled out on the street with pools of blood spreading underneath them. Jack banged on the side of the BMP. The commander popped out of his hatch and looked down at the dead Stovie. Jack and the commander exchanged a few words. They were speaking too fast for Peter to mentally translate but he caught on that Jack was ordering the commander to do something. The commander and gunner hopped off the BMP and dragged the dead soldier into the back of the vehicle. Jack turned around towards the panicky soldiers. "My vse yeshche mozhem poymatʹ nemnogo yebatʹ. Davayte dvigatʹsya!" _We can still get the little fucker. Let's go! _Jack led the group in a fast jog down the alley.

Peter noticed from the start that this alley wasn't like most in Gracemeria. This one had so many twists and turns it was like a maze. If it wasn't for Jack he was sure he would have gotten lost. Jack led them into a wide courtyard that was covered in trash. Everything from faded posters for a concert two years ago to dirty mattresses and everything in between littered the ground. They fanned out a little looking at the filth in disgust. Peter figured the Stovies thought this was what all of Emmeria looked like.

"Kudapoyti nemnogo derʹma?" one of the Stovie soldiers said stepping forward cautiously. _Where did the little shit go?_ The Stovies scanned the blank walk that towered over them and pointed their rifles at every dusty window. No sign of the boy. The Stovies were so busy searching for the young sniper that they didn't notice Jack and Peter slip behind them.

Suddenly the stained mattresses flipped over revealing spider holes dug into the concrete. Hooded resistance members materialized amongst the trash completely surrounding the Stovies. "Polozhitʹ oruzhiye vniz!" one of them shouted in barely understandable Estovakian. The soldiers spun around to see Jack and Peter aiming their weapons at them. Peter stifled a laugh when he saw the expression on their faces. They looked shocked and angry as they lay their rifles on the ground. Carter walked over to Peter and Jack armed with his MAT-49. He pulled the black balaclava he had over his mouth down revealing a smile.

"Took you guys long enough. I actually took a piss in my spider hole waiting on you two." Carter jerked a thumb towards the Stovies. "The hell are we gonna do with those them?"

Jack narrowed his eyes and looked at the prisoners. "We need Estovakian uniforms right?" Carter nodded his head. "Razdevaysya ! Ostavitʹ na vashem bokserov!" Jack shouted. _Take off your clothes! Leave on your boxers! _The oldest of group, one that was maybe a year older than Peter, looked at Jack frowning. Jack pointed at the ground with his carbine to show where he wanted to the clothes to be.

"Eto ne spravedlivo!" the oldest spat as he undid his belt. _This isn't fair._

"What he say?" Carter asked. Jack told him and Carter laughed. "It wasn't exactly fair when you damn Stovies used burst missiles to wipe out half our damn air force." Carter said looking directly at the oldest soldier. He mumbled something in return. Carter brought his submachine gun up to his shoulder and growled, "What did you say mother fucker?"

The Stovie poked out his chest and crossed his arms. A startling act of defiance but when the Stovie let his pants go they dropped around his ankles. "Poshel na khuy." _Fuck you._

The other Stovies dived to the side as Carter lit the defiant Stovie up. The report of the MAT-49 was echoed off the walls loudly. Hot shell casing sizzled as they landed in dirty puddles. The Estovakian fell backwards onto a mattress. Carter swapped out magazines and walked off not saying another word.

"Such a hothead." Jack said rolling his eyes. "That's one less uniform we can use. The Stovies waiting for us back at the BMP probably heard that. I'm going to go tell them everything is fine. Can you get some of these guys changed out so we can jack the BMP?"

"No problem." Peter said shouldering his rifle. Jack looked at the body, sighed, and jogged off. "Okay," Peter said sounding a lot more confident than he felt. "Someone get these prisoners out of here. If they try to run shoot them. Check the sizes of those uniforms. If you fit them put them on. Males only please. Stovies don't allow women to serve as infantry." He thought about what would happen to the boxer clad prisoners as they were led into a cellar. Probably brutally interrogated to see if they knew anything important. They'd most likely be killed afterwards and their bodies would be dumped in front of the airbase as to say "This is what happens to invaders". The last one was about to disappear into the cellar. He looked back at Peter. No way the Stovie was older than sixteen. His bumpy acne scarred face reminded Peter of most of the kids he went to high school with. The Stovie's eyes were red and brimming with tears. He knew what was going to happen. His bleary eyes stared right into Peter's for a split second before being forcefully shoved down the steps. For the first time since the invasion began, Peter felt bad for what he had done.

000

Stas liked many things about being in the Estovakian Army. He liked the order, the uniforms, and warm cots when you weren't on maneuvers. One thing he didn't like though was the food. When he was younger and the Civil War was still in full swing he was forced to eat many things. Horses, dogs, cats, and ferrets. Once, when they were forced to hide in the sewers for three months because of constant bombing from Eastern Faction bombers, he was forced to eat human meat. His mother told him it was rabbit but he'd eaten rabbit before. That tasted nothing like rabbit. Army food was one step up from eating human. He didn't have to worry about that now. Mrs. McKellar cooked like a master chef.

"What did you say this was called again?" Stas asked spearing a piece of meat on his fork and put it in his mouth. It looked like it would be dry and tasteless (like any meat served in field kitchens) but it was anything but. An explosion of flavor attacked his taste buds. Despite its dry looking appearance it was juicy and tender. He absolutely loved it.

"Beef brisket." Alexis said as she cut her piece of brisket into smaller pieces and smiling sincerely. "My mom taught me how to cook it when I was ten."

Stas' face seemed to light up when he ate another piece. "They should make you the company cook. Our morale would surely go up if we ate this every day. Don't you think so Sergeant Major Kamorov?" Sergeant Major Yuri was the only one who sat at the table rigidly. His movements seemed almost robotic as he mixed his mashed potatoes with gravy.

"It is sufficient." he mumbled. That was enough for Stas. If Sergeant Major Yuri didn't insult something right away it meant he liked it no matter what else he said.

A pea flew across the table a bounced off Stas' nose. Stas sat up straight in his seat surprised but then laughed. Young Madison sat across from him loading another pea into her fork. A glare from Louis made sure she didn't launch it. Instead she plopped it in her mouth. When everyone was finished eating Alexis collected all the plates and went into the kitchen to wash them. Louis headed up to his room and Sergeant Major Yuri went to his living room to clean his rifle. Madison led Stas up to her room.

As usual Madison pulled out her art set and they started painting. Madison drew a house that was considerably better than what most five year olds could. The picture was happy with flowers in front the house and many bright colours. Stas drew a T-90 tank stopped in the middle of a ruined street. A squad of his fellow soldiers sat on the hull beckoning to a pretty woman in a tattered red dress. You couldn't see the woman's face because she wasn't facing him but the soldiers. In one hand she held a yellow flower out like a symbol of peace. The other hand was behind her back and held something more sinister. She held a detonator that led to explosives strapped to her. But the explosives were under her dress. All the soldiers saw was a pretty girl in the red dress. Stas purposely left the back of the woman's dress torn so whoever saw this picture would know the deadly package she carried. "The Woman in Red" was what he would call it.

"Stas?" Madison asked as she carefully filled in flower petal.

"Yes my little sneg krolika?" Stas replied. Stas had grown close to Madison to the point where he called her sneg krolika. It meant snow rabbit in Estovakian.

"Why did you come here? You shut down my school and killed my friend's dad. You are my best friend and all but why did your country have to come here." Stas stopped painting and felt the brush fall from his hands. Such a complex question asked by a five year old who probably didn't even know where Estovakia was on a map. How could he explain exactly why his country invaded to such a simple minded child?

"I…I can't answer that. I'm sorry." Stas said picking up the paintbrush. His painting wasn't ruined. It did have a red splotch on the corner but that wasn't too bad. He went to add the final touches but Madison put her tiny hand on his. Stas looked down at her and resisted the urge to cry. Madison had this look on her face. She looked sadder than he'd ever seen her.

"I want you to make me a promise." Madison said squeezing his hand.

"Anything sneg krolika."

"Promise me you won't hurt anyone. You can't just promise though you have to pinky promise." Madison held out her pinkie and waited for Stas to wrap his pinky. When he didn't she frowned deeply.

"You know I can't do that." Stas said slowly. He wanted her to understand the first time so he wouldn't have to be burdened with doing it again. "I'm a soldier. My job is to hurt people."

"No!" Madison yelled slapping Stas' hand like a mother would with a small child. "The job of a soldier is to protect people and make the world fair." The passion in Madison's voice was overwhelming. How could she think of something that…..complicated.

"I'll protect you. That much I can promise. I won't let a thing happen to you or your mommy and daddy." Stas said as he picked her up.

"Pinky promise?" Madison asked holding out her pinky again. This time Stas did wrap his pinky around her pinky. Madison frowned again.

"You have a stain on your uniform. You really are a messy eater." Stas looked down and got plucked in the nose. Stas' sneg krolika roared with laughter.

000

Even though Louis had his door closed he heard his daughter's laughter. It bothered him a great deal that his daughter was best friends with the enemy. Or maybe it wasn't. It was possible Madison could get some information from Stas. It wouldn't be anything too important but every bit counts. No. His family was already in enough danger. He didn't need to put them in any more. Louis really had two choices. He could continue doing as he was doing and support the resistance and the Emmerian government, his adoptive country, as a whole putting his family in danger now but if the Emmerians won making sure they were safe in the future. On the other hand he could support the Estovakians, the defilers of his new homeland, and secure safety for his family now but if the Emmerians won they'd be in danger later on. There was no in between. Sooner or later you'd be forced to pick a side.

He knew which side he was on now. He was on the good side. Or at least he hoped it was the good side. Some of the things he'd heard the resistance doing made him regret supporting them. He knew he had no room to talk. He pulled out his fair share of teeth during the Circum-Pacific War and it still bothered him to this day. The resistance wasn't anywhere near the same level as the SIS but he couldn't deny they were growing. And he was helping the organization grow. He specialized in logistics. Whenever the resistance needed explosives; he got however much was needed and then some to wherever it needed to go. Whenever they needed more weapons; he was the one who dug up an under protected weapon storage site to raid. Whenever they need a place to hide those weapons; is the one who finds an abandoned lot or a backyard garden to put them.

At the moment Louis was trying to find a way to get orders to another cell across the city. They couldn't use the landlines. Stovies had those bugged to kingdom come. Same with e-mail. The Estovakians were trying to jam cell phone signals doing so with great success. He knew exactly how they did it. They had an Il-76PP flying over the city in random patterns. The converted military transport was going to be damn near impossible to take down. Maybe if they borrowed a crop duster from a farmer out in the countryside and put a Red Top Missile on it. No. There was always a flight of MiG-29s somewhere over the city. They'd swat the crop duster out the sky before the pilot could get close enough to fire off the short range missile. Louis lay his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He had to find a way faster way of getting orders and whatnot around the city. Most of their operations required synchronized actions from multiple cells and that couldn't be done with couriers hand delivering things.

Suddenly he felt a weight on his back. Instincts told him to arch his back and stiffen. He relaxed when he heard Alexis' soft voice in his ear. "I hate seeing you this stressed." she said coming around and sitting on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I'm fine." Louis said trying to smile. It didn't work.

"You're lying to me. I didn't even ask if you were feeling alright. You know for a person so smart you really are kinda stupid." Alexis ran her smooth hand behind his ear and let it run down his jaw line. "It has to do with Jack and his friends huh?" When Louis just stared into space that was all she needed to see to confirm she was correct.

"I left Osea because I was worried that another war would flare up between Osea and Belka. Look what I got us in to."

Alexis grabbed Louis by the chin and turned his head so he faced her. "You didn't know this would happen. Now you're trying your best to end it. Do not beat yourself up over it."

"I love you." Louis said smiling for real now. He meant what he said too. No matter what happened Alexis always stuck by his side. When he was deployed on extended tours during the Circum-Pacific War it was thoughts of her that kept him going. He had to keep her safe. No matter the cost. If that meant helping slowly bleed the Estovakians dry then so be it.

"I love me too." Alexis said with an impish grin.


End file.
